THE SLAUGHTEB OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS 291 

 The Regulab Army of Destruction. This motley 



• 



gathering contains all sorts and conditions of men who kill 

 wild things. The character of the crowd varies by many 

 downward steps from the gentleman sportsman who - 

 hunting because he loves Nature, and who kills either very 

 little or nothing at all, down to the sordid, law-breaking 

 "game-hog" 1 and meat-hunter who greedily kills all thai the 

 law allows and as much more as lie can kill without del 

 tion. From the number of hunting licenses annually boughl 

 and paid for, we are able to judge clearly the extent and 

 deadliness of the regular army of destroyers now operating 

 against wild life in our land. I have been at some pains to 

 collect the following records: 



The United States Army of Destruction 



limit i tin Licenses issued in 1!)11 



Alabama 5,090 Montana 59 



California 188,689 Nebraska 39,402 



Colorado 41,058 New Hampshire >,542 



Connecticut 19,635 New Jersey 61,920 



Idaho 50,342 New Mexico 7,000 



Illinois 192,244 New York 150,222 



Indiana 54,813 Rhode Island 6,541 



Iowa 91,000 South Dakota 31,054 



Kansas 44,069 Utah.... 27,800 



Louisiana 76,000 Vermont 31,762 



Maine 2,552 Washington, about 10,000 



Massachusetts C>.o:!!) Wisconsin 138,457 



Michigan 22,323 Wyoming .. 9,721 



Missouri 66,66 1 



Total number of regularly licensed gunners 1,486,^ 



' The term "game-hog" \\;i-< coined in I s:»7 by ' 1 Shields, and it has come 

 into general use. It Imn been recognized l>y a judge <>n the bench ;i^ an appro- 

 priate term to ;i|>|>ly to all men who selfishl) slaughter wild game beyond the limits 

 of decency. Although it is a harsh term, its has jarred ;i hundred thousand men into 



